Clark is just the newest No. 1 pick on the Fever’s roster. She joined former South Carolina star Aliyah Boston from 2023, and that pair joined No. 2 picks NaLyssa Smith and Kelsey Mitchell. That quartet combined for 73 points as the Fever defeated the Mystics 88-81 in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,274 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
After a 5-0 start, the Fever won three games in a row and five of seven to improve to 6-10. This ended the winning streak of the Mystics (2-13), who had to accept a 12-0 start.
“The time together definitely helps,” Clark said before the game. “You can even see that Aliyah and I just have a better connection, that we’re better at recognizing where the other is going to be, that we’re able to read each other’s eyes a little better.”
“It’s just about the connection you build when you play together. … Everyone can kind of see the improvement.”
The Mystics’ progress was hampered by injuries, with two of their top performers sidelined for extended periods. Brittney Sykes (sprained left ankle) missed her 12th game and Shakira Austin (hip) missed her 9th game. Their absence is especially noticeable on offense, where Ariel Atkins (27 points) and Karlie Samuelson (16 points) could have used more support than the 14 points contributed by Stefanie Dolson (including four three-pointers).
Atkins has been in top form over the last three games, averaging 24.7 points and now ranks fourth in franchise history with 450 career assists.
“That’s the key, not to force it,” Atkins said. “To make life easier for all of us, I have to be aggressive. And with (Sykes) out, we have to attack the basket a little more. We’re just trying to put pressure on the basket and create opportunities.”
Washington kept the Fever lead in single digits for most of the night until they opened an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, 12-3. The Mystics never got closer than five points the rest of the game.
Clark scored a career-high 30 points in the teams’ first meeting, but played a more balanced game this time, posting 18 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals, also a career high, along with six turnovers. Boston set the tone early, finishing with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Mitchell scored 22 points and made 8 of 11 shots, including four three-pointers. Smith added 11 points and seven rebounds.
““We chased the shooters hard and maybe didn’t defend the ball well enough,” Thibault said. “Especially in the first half, we allowed a lot of straight-line attacks because we were so busy chasing the shooters without the ball. That’s tough because you have to give those shooters credit, but I don’t think we did a good job just with our one-on-one defense.”
These are quality scorers and the Mystics helped them out with some free throws. Eleven turnovers isn’t a big number, but the Fever did it the other way around, scoring 20 points while the Mystics only scored 10 points off turnovers. That difference is important in a seven-point loss. Adding to the Mystics’ problems was their tendency to foul, and the Fever hit 18 of 23 free throws.
“Some of the turnovers were basically fast break layup opportunities,” Samuelson said. “You can’t afford a real turnover at the free throw line.”
Washington has two more meetings with the Fever. On Wednesday, the team announced that its season-ending game against Indiana on Sept. 19 will be moved to Capital One Arena. The first meeting was also played there and was sold out with 20,333 fans, making it the fifth most attended regular season game in WNBA history.
The Mystics return home for a back-to-back game against the Dallas Wings on Saturday and Sunday.
